I am absolutely thrilled that today I was appointed Professor or Religion and Education at the University of Chester. This is something that I have worked towards over a number of years and is in recognition of my work and standing in the world of religion and education. It is an honour and “denotes distinction: a professor is someone who has been promoted to the highest academic grade – usually on the basis of her or his scholarly achievements.” This is the pinnacle of my academic career; there is no higher academic rank. It reflects achievements and esteem.

I am mindful in announcing this you might think – “but James, you were already a professor.” In 2019 I was appointed as an Associate Professor and while I could use the title of Professor in certain situations, I did so rarely, as I never quite felt that was where I belonged. This appointment is as a full professor, and you’d better believe I will be using that title. In the USA most people who teach in the University system are referred to as professors- in the UK they are lecturers or senior lecturers. And while I may have been a professor by US standards, these do not apply in the UK.

I am thrilled and proud for many reasons. Not least because of the journey that has led me to this point. I do not share some of that here to suggest that this achievement is in spite of these circumstances, not at all- this achievement is because of all of those experiences. My mum is amazing- at the age of 23 she was left a widow with two young sons to care for and look after. She had O levels but not many other qualifications because she hadn’t been allowed to stay at school, she needed to get out and start earning some money. As a child I didn’t know that we lived in difficult circumstances or that life had dealt my mum a harsh set of cards. I knew that I was loved; I also knew of the value of hard work as my mum worked in a series of jobs that enabled her to be there for us- as a bar maid or as a care assistant. I was also taught that I could achieve anything that I wanted to- the sky was the limit, or at least that is what my mum taught me. I often tell a story that I have never had the opportunity to test- apparently if you put fleas in a jar with no lid they jump out. I think that’s fairly obvious. If you put them in a jar with a lid, then they would still try and jump out but they would be prevented by the lid. Again, no real surprise there. However, if you then take the lid off the fleas only jump as high as the level of the lid- they have been taught that they can’t go any higher. There was no lid placed on my imagination.

This does not mean that life is without its setbacks. As a child there were many things that seemed to work against me though I never realised them at the time. I am blind in one eye which apparently means I am no good at catching but no one ever told me that and so I loved to play cricket and was a goalkeeper through most of my school life. Up until the age of about five or six only my older brother could understand a word I was saying; and as such my reading age was far below what it should have been. However, I remember one year in particular where my mum and my teacher- Mr Starkey worked together- I began to speak with the help of a speech therapist that my mum took me to every week despite it being an hour away on the bus, and my reading age increased as I had a teacher who didn’t judge me on what he saw in front of him but took an interest in me and worked patiently with me. It didn’t hurt that he was amazing in other ways- threatening to tear my arm off and hit me with the soggy end when I made a mistake or dangling my friend over the toilet threatening to drop in him because he had done something wrong. It will be no surprise to you that it was that year at the age of 6 that I decided I wanted to be a teacher!

I had a fantastic childhood, I was full of life, confident and enjoyed many different things. However, as I began secondary school there were other voices which told me I was rubbish; that I was worthless; that what I had to say was not worth listening to; and I would never amount to anything. This continued for a period of about three years, and for some reason despite others who said differently these people were the ones I believed. Some of these words still echo in my mind as I encounter new situations, and to be honest some of the reasons why I push myself to do new things is to prove to myself that these things were not right. It was at the point in my life- at the age of 14 that I moved to Macclesfield and began to rediscover myself and some confidence within myself with the help of my mum and my friends. One person in particular stands out- my RE teacher- Mr Banks. I don’t know if he ever realised the effect that he had on my life. I have to admit that prior to this I hated RE- the only reason I took it at GCSE was because I hated geography more. Mr Banks, however, was an inspiration- first of all as a human being and then as a teacher. I recaptured my desire to be a teacher from him, but he opened up the world of RE to me and helped me realise that there were things that I was good at. He again, had a sense of humour that engaged my teenage personality. The thing that stands out to me though is that he believed in me, and that he loved all of students.

After leaving University with a BA in Theology and History, and then a Secondary PGCE I got a job in my PGCE placement school because they had just been told that RE needed improving by Ofsted- they knew me, and I was cheap. That year was incredibly hectic- my wife and I had our first baby, I was made Head of Department (in a department of one and fifteen non-specialists), and I began my first Masters degree. Ruth and I rationalised this because since we’d been married I’d always studied, worked and completed teaching placements so that it just seemed natural to carry on studying alongside teaching. My school funded the study even though the focus was Military Studies (don’t ask!).

RE is my passion and I loved working in my first school- I got so many opportunities to develop courses from scratch and work with supportive staff and amazing pupils. After finishing my first Masters I had an itch to do a PhD, but was a minister in my local Church in my spare (?) time so put it off, and began a second Masters, this time in Religious Education and again school agreed to fund my studies.

By the time I left my first school, after seven years, I’d gained three children and two Masters degrees. At my second school, we added another child, but I also got the opportunity to begin RE work outside of my school. Having been used to advisory support, I phoned the Local Authority to ask who the contact was- there was nobody. They asked me if I would like to take on the role of Advanced Skills Teacher. That was so much fun, I got involved in SACRE, I visited lots of Primary and Secondary schools to help develop RE, and got asked to deliver training courses. I also began teaching A-Level for the first time- and had to learn Philosophy of Religion all over again.

I also got the opportunity to start a part time PhD for which I received funding from the University. This enabled me to keep learning- it focussed around religion and so the study helped with my teaching.

Life was good and I loved every aspect of my job- it seemed the best of every world. An opportunity came up to apply for the job leading the RE PGCE at Chester. Although it may seem an easy decision- it was the hardest decision of my life. I feel teaching is my vocation, and it’s something that I absolutely love, especially teaching teenagers. But I also felt I had something to say about the way RE is taught. I joke that I have only cried twice in my adult life- once when my eldest child was born (don’t know what that says about the other three!) and once when I wrote my resignation letter to my school. I was leaving the job I loved.

The last 17 years at the University of Chester have been amazing- the colleagues and students I have worked with have been wonderful. I have loved every opportunity that has been afforded to me. At heart though I am still a teacher! It’s what I love and the only thing I’m half decent at! So, will this change what I do on a day-to-day basis? Absolutely not- I cannot give up teaching- I love it- it is where I come alive.

At the end of this self-indulgent and narcissistic journey down memory lane I must recognise that I am here because of the love and support of my wife and children, as well as many other people who have supported and strengthened me over the years. But, most importantly Ruth and the children. I have no greater supporters- they were in no doubt that I would achieve this- me on the other hand… There’s a line from a song that says, “I am everything I am because you loved me.” I can’t say it better than that. Nor can I ignore the strength that comes from my faith in God. My faith is the fabric of my life, it weaves through every aspect of who I am. I would be nothing without my Saviour Jesus Christ.

I texted a friend with my news today, she replied: “Wooohhhhh that is well deserved and amazing – no more imposter syndrome now Professor Holt.” I don’t think I can go that far, but for now it feels rather good.  Not bad for a kid from a council estate in North Manchester!